10 Fun Facts About Nevis

Nevis is a 36 square mile island in the Caribbean Sea. Nevis and the nearby island of Saint Kitts make up one country known as the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis.

Flag of Nevis, one of the Caribbean Islands that forms the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis

We will be visiting both Saint Kitts and Nevis via an upcoming cruise, so we wanted to learn a little background about the island of Nevis, a new destination for us.

10 Fun Facts About Nevis

Map of Saint Kitts and Nevis by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

1. The islands of Nevis and Saint Kitts are separated by a shallow, two mile channel known as “The Narrows”.2. With a population of 54,191 (in 2013) and a total area of 100.8 square miles, St. Kitts and Nevis is the smallest country in the Americas both in area and in population.

A view of Nevis from the southeastern peninsula of St. Kitts. Photo by Nesnad.

3. While they are part of the same country, residents of St. Kitts are called Kittitians while the people who live on Nevis are called Nevisians.4. Nevis is only 36 sq miles in size, and has approximately 12,000 residents. Charlestown is the capital.5. The currency in Nevis as well as in St. Kitts is the East Caribbean dollar written as EC$ or XCD. Currently, $1 US dollar is equal to EC$2.70 (Eastern Caribbean dollars.)6. During the 18th Century, Nevis was known as the “Queen of the Caribees” because its highly productive sugar plantations created significant wealth for the British. Twenty percent of the British Empire’s total sugar production in 1700 was derived from Nevisian plantations.

The Museum of Nevis History, Charlestown, housed in the restored Georgian building where Alexander Hamilton was born. Photo by Daniel Farrell.

7. Nevis is the birthplace and early childhood home of Alexander Hamilton, one of the founding fathers of the United States. Born on Nevis around 1755, Hamilton spent a significant part of his childhood on Nevis. His father was a trader from Scotland, his mother was from Nevis.8. Visitors to Nevis can see Alexander Hamilton’s birthplace, which is now the Museum of Nevis History as well as the Nevis Island Assembly Chambers.9. British hero 1st Viscount Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson, of Battle of Trafalgar fame, was stationed on Nevis when he was a young sea captain. While in Nevis, Nelson met Frances Nisbet, a young widow with a five-year-old son. She and Nelson married in Nevis in 1787. A copy of their marriage certificate is on display at the Saint John Figtree Parish Anglican Church in Nevis.10. Nevis has a 98 percent literacy rate, one of the highest in the Western Hemisphere.

Have you visited Nevis? What fun fact can you add to this list? Please share your thoughts in comments below, or by interacting with us on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram.